Life Cycle of a Bill
A bill must successfully pass through a number of steps before it becomes a law. Only a fraction of the bills introduced by Senators and Assembly Members ever reach the legislative floor for a vote. Even after a bill is approved in both chambers, the Governor reserves the power to veto it. Transforming bills into laws is an essential function of our state government.
Idea
All bills begin as an idea, which can be formed by anyone. The life cycle of a bill begins when a drafted idea is presented to a Senator or Assembly Member, who then introduces and sponsors the bill. Both Assembly Members and Senators are limited to introducing 35 bills per two-year session.
Committee Review
Once the bill is introduced, it is sent to the appropriate committee(s) where it is studied and assessed to determine if it can be passed successfully. Typically, the bill is referred to a subcommittee where it will undergo further review. Often a hearing is held where people may testify in support or opposition of the bill. The subcommittee makes changes and amendments before reporting to the full committee for deliberations. It takes a majority vote of the membership of the committee to pass a bill.
Assembly and Senate
After a bill passes through the committee stage it proceeds to the chamber floor for consideration. As the bill is debated, lawmakers argue in favor or against the proposed legislation. Lawmakers move to a vote after a bill has been thoroughly discussed. Once the house of origin approves the bill, it proceeds to the opposing chamber where it will undergo an equivalent approval process. Bills that require money or take effect immediately require 27 votes in the Senate and 54 votes in the Assembly. All other bills require 21 votes in the Senate and 41 votes in the Assembly.
Governor
The approved bill then goes to the Governor for review. The Governor has three choices. They can sign the bill into law, allow it to become law without their signature, or veto it. The Legislature has 60 calendar days to act upon a Governor’s veto, which can be overridden by a two-thirds vote in both houses. Normally, the Governor has 12 days after receiving a bill to decide to sign or veto it, or a bill will automatically become law without their signature.
Most bills, whether signed by the Governor or passed as a result of an override, go into effect on January 1 of the next year. Urgency measures take effect immediately upon being signed by the Governor and chaptered by the Secretary of State. Urgency bills affect public peace, health, or safety and require a two-thirds vote for passage.
Secretary of State
When the Governor approves a bill, it is signed, dated, and placed with the Secretary of State where it serves as the official record and law of the state. The Secretary of State assigns the bill a number, known as the chapter number, in the order it is received. The resulting sequence is presumed to be the order in which the bills were approved by the Governor. Each approved bill is stamped with the Great Seal of the State of California.